5 Common Mistakes Made With Recruiters in the Medical Device Industry

1. “I can just apply directly to the company and skip the recruiter.” There are a few reasons why this isn’t necessarily true. First, retained recruiters often work on positions before they become public. Especially in the medical device industry, higher level positions are usually filled before the predecessor knows he or she is going to move on. Medical device recruiters are vital connections to have because they know about the position first and can get you an interview before you are lost among the competition. Secondly, recruiters are paid to place good candidates so it is in their best interest to present you in the best way possible. This means anything from one-on-one interview preparation to “candidate presentations” that present your most admirable qualities to the hiring authority.

“The recruiter’s relationship with the client means that he typically has access to inside information. Listen to a recruiter’s advice very carefully when it comes to resume changes, interview coaching, etc. This advice is given to candidates because recruiters know what will maximize a candidate’s chances of getting an offer.” (careerbuilder.com.)

2. “Recruiters don’t understand medical device technology and are unqualified to represent me” While I understand the candidate’s point of view on this one, I will emphasize one main point: not all recruiters are the same. Quality medical device recruiters worked in the industry before they moved into the recruiting industry. They understand your point of view, they have strong connections in medical device, and they can keep up with the industry terminology. My advice, take a look at the recruiter’s background and see how much direct medical device experience he or she has.

3. “Recruiters are two-faced lying scammers” I read this a lot, and I will refer back to #2. Not all recruiters are the same. I have heard stories of recruiters disrespecting candidates in pursuit of fees, but there are checks in place to avoid this. A recruiter’s reputation is the most important factor in receiving searches and as a result of this, bad apple recruiters do not last long. When choosing a recruiter, focus on the quality of medical device companies the firm works with and how long it has been in business. See what sorts of resources the recruiter offers, avoid recruiters that charge you fees, and try to work with retained recruiters.

4. “Recruiters are just telemarketers. They don’t care about me”. A recruiter’s job is to find an employee for a company, not to find you a job. Without understanding this vital point, many candidates walk away feeling disrespected when the recruiter they worked with did not have the perfect job for them, but the worst mistake you can do is write off a recruiter as a telemarketer. Why? If a recruiter took time out of his or her day to call you he or she probably had your resume or basic medical device career history and thought you were a worthwhile candidate to network with. Treating a recruiter respectfully has a lot more benefits than negatives. When times are tough, the simple networking that results from a blind call may save you from unemployment.

5. “I’ll wait until I’m unemployed to network” Recruiters are paid to find top talent, and long spans of unemployment are more of a red flag than anything else. Do NOT wait. Network with recruiters early on. In the medical device industry, client companies love acquiring talent from other top medical companies, since medical technology thrives on having product devleopment engineers or medical device sales people that already know how to work within niche industries. On top of that, your best salary offers will come while you are still employed. It pays to stay on the lookout, so give your recruiter a call or find one on LinkedIn and start a relationship now.